70804069 Summary Memo

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McGarrah Elementary School

MemoTo: Dr. Cassandra Hopkins (Principal)

From: Jennifer Wilson

CC: Dr. Bobby Rorie (Vice Principal)

Date: 1 May 2012

Subject: Media Center Evaluation Summary

I recently reviewed our media center with the help of Suzy Searcy, our school media

specialist. This memo is to inform you, the administration of McGarrah ElementarySchool, the results of our evaluation.The Georgia DOE 2010 Library Media ProgramEvaluation Rubricwas used to conduct the evaluation.

There are five categories listed on the rubric: student achievement and instruction,staffing, facilities, access, and resources, administrative support, and staff development,along with separate indicators. Each of the five categories are scored based on threelevels of proficiency (basic, proficient, and exemplary). This memo also contains anaction plan for all categories that scored basic or proficient on the evaluation, in order toimprove our schools media center.

Category 1

Student Achievement and Instruction:Our media center received exemplary marks in all areas of category 1.

Category 2 Staffing:Our media center received basic marks for category 2. Based on the DOE rubric: amedia center that has a base size or larger, which is our media center, shall employ afull-time Library Media Specialist for each base size school or larger. (Base size definedby unweighted FTE: K-5, 450; 6-8, 624; 9-12, 970) (CGB, 160-5-1-.22) Based on thereview of our media center, our school is basic in this area. We are in compliance withstate board rule, but the Library Media Specialist is required to perform other duties on adaily or frequent basis. Although our Library Media Specialist is available to teachers to

assist throughout the instructional day, she has other duties to perform throughout theday, due to the lack of funding for additional support (i.e. a media clerk) in the mediacenter. The need for assistance is crucial for the media specialist to aide teachers andstudents in locating materials for their lessons and/or enjoyment. Our media specialistalso teaches several lessons daily and/or weekly, but is struggling to continue with thispractice as she has to do more than one thing at a time. A solution to this issue and tomove our media center out of the basic area and into the proficient and/or exemplarylevel, is to ask for more volunteers from our community and out parents (after they have
http://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=Dhttp://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=Dhttp://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=Dhttp://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=Dhttp://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=Dhttp://www.gadoe.org/DMGetDocument.aspx/Rubric10.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6401D360A7C6524D332C635EF4BB25E684302CBDC928B821E&Type=D

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Date: 1 May 2012


their back ground check, of course).

Category 3

Facilities, Access, and Resources:In Category 3, our media center received exemplary marks in each area, except area13. This area states that Effective and engaging software and on -line resources will bean integral part of every schools curriculum. The GALILEO on-line service providesGeorgia students and teachers access to exceptional on-line resources at no cost to thelocal school district. Searches performed in GALILEO databases will exceed one millionannually and the number of full-content items viewed will exceed one million annually.State of Georgia Technology Plan 2003-2006. Our school received basic marksbecause the number of GALILEO searches by students and staff is low, they either willbe the same as last year or lower. It is the plan of the media center to immediately beginprofessional development training sessions for teachers within the school on how to

effectively use and teach with GALILEO in the classroom.

Category 4 Administrative Support:In category 4, we had 2 areas with exemplary marks, 2 areas with proficient marks, and1 area with basic marks. The area the received basic marks were a system mediacontact person (SMCP) is appointed and communication from the SMCP is receivedand posted for all Library Media Specialist and staff. The media coordinator orcurriculum coordinator may serve as the SMCP to facilitate communication to and fromthe DOE, but the problem is that the SMCP does not encourage or have opportunitiesfor the Library Media Specialists to meet regularly instead they delegate other mediaspecialist to relay messages.

The 2 areas that received proficient marks were as follows:A library media advisory committee exists and meets a minimum of twice a year.Planning and evaluation of the library media program is executed regularly. (Thiscommittee may be the same as the technology committee in some schools.) Wereceived proficient in this area because at the current moment we do not have a librarymedia advisory committee (I know that one is coming though) and no meetings of thistype have taken place. In order to move this particular area from proficient to exemplary,

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we suggested that the media committee be put together and begin meeting immediately(a meeting has been set for Fall 2011, but no other meetings have been scheduled). We

are also requesting that at least 2 meetings take place each year, instead of 0 or 1.The other area that received proficient marks was that the library media program budgetexceeds the minimum state allocation and that local funding supplements stateallocation. Our media center meets the minimum, but received money from statefunding of $10,000 to purchase needed materials. There isnt much of plan in this areaas we have no authority over how our school and/or our school district chooses to usetheir funding. The money that our media center does receive, the media specialist planson using it towards purchasing new texts, AR tests, and other items to support andmaintain the media center.

Category 5 Staff Development:

Our media center received exemplary marks in category 5.

Category 6 Other:The integration of technology into our classrooms is very prominent. Some minorupdates to our software and programs may be needed, but overall our media center issufficient and our technology needs are met.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Wilson

Media Specialist (2nd Grade Teacher)

[email protected]

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Date: 1 May 2012


2201 Lake Harbin Rd.

Morrow, GA 30260

770-968-2910

70804069 Summary Memo

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